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Count Ali Abdelaziz among those who was unimpressed by Conor McGregor’s breakdown of the UFC 229 main event.

Abdelaziz, who manages lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, called McGregor a “weak soul” and claimed that the Irishman “and his sorry ass team [are] already making some stupid ass excuses” for his fourth-round submission defeat on Oct. 6. The Instagram post is presumably in response to McGregor’s round-by-round analysis of the fight that he posted on social media.

A seemingly humbled McGregor also added that it would be “no problem” if he couldn’t get an immediate rematch with Nurmagomedov, as he would be more than willing to “face the next in line.”

Abdelaziz scoffed at the notion of a rematch and hinted that it would only be worthwhile for Nurmagomedov if he could earn $100 million. The Dagestani earned a disclosed $2 million purse at UFC 229, but that doesn’t include pay-per-view points or any other type of income.

“If you can’t make u…

UFC veteran and current One Championship heavyweight titlist Brandon Vera will reportedly defend his strap very soon.

“The Truth” hasn’t fought since December 2016, but he is expected to defend his belt against Italian newcomer Mauro Cerilli at an as-yet-to-be determined event. The news was first reported by MMA-Today.

Vera, a 16-time UFC competitor, has experienced something of a resurgence since joining the Singapore-based promotion. He is currently on a three-bout winning streak under the One banner, with all three victories coming inside of a round.

Cerilli, 35, has never lost while fighting in the heavyweight division. His only two defeats came during a brief stint at 205 pounds. Most recently, “The Hammer” knocked out Irish star Karl Moore in 15 seconds at Cage Warriors 92 on March 24. He is currently riding a five-bout winning streak.

Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com Credit: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com

Sean O'Malley will undergo surgery on his right hip, a procedure he estimates will keep him sidelined for approximately four months.

The rising bantamweight star announced his plans via Twitter on Tuesday. The timing works out well for O’Malley, as he is awaiting a ruling from USADA on a potential anti-doping violation that resulted in him being pulled from a proposed UFC 229 matchup against Jose Quinonez.

“Surgery on Thursday on my right hip,” O’Malley wrote. “This will put me off the mats for about [four] months. Still waiting on the USADA situation to get sorted out. This year has been the best year and toughest year of my life.”

Surgery on Thursday on my right hip. This will put me off the Mats for about 4 months. Still waiting on the USADA situation to get sorted out . This year has been the best year,…

Conor McGregor isn’t dead set on an immediate return date with Khabib Nurmagomedov following his setback to the Dagestani lightweight champion in the UFC 229 headliner.

The Irishman took to Instagram to offer a lengthy breakdown of the Oct. 6 fight, which ended with Nurmagomedov winning via tapout in the fourth stanza. McGregor analyzed each round in the post, pointing out both the good and bad in his performance.

Perhaps more noteworthy, the former two-division champion claimed he would be willing to fight the “next man in line,” and that it would be no problem if he wasn’t granted a rematch in his next Octagon appearance.

“It was a great fight and it was my pleasure. I will be back with my confidence high. Fully prepared,” McGregor wrote. “If it is not the rematch right away, no problem. I will face the next in line. It’s all me always, anyway. See you soon my fighting fans I love you all.”

McGregor did not mention the post-fight brawl that ensued b…

David Branch will get to remain on the UFC 230 bill, as Jared Cannonier has agreed to face the Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu product on short notice.

The promotion announced the new middleweight matchup on Monday. Branch’s original foe, Ronaldo Souza, was elevated to the co-main event against Chris Weidman after Luke Rockhold pulled out of the card due to injury.

UFC 230 takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 3 and is headlined by a heavyweight championship clash between Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis.

Cannonier was previously scheduled to square off against Alessio Di Chirico at UFC Fight Night 140 in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Nov. 17. It is unclear if Di Chirico will get a new opponent for that card. “The Killa Gorilla” will attempt to halt a two-fight skid at UFC 230 after dropping back-to-back fights at the hands of Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz at 205 pounds. Cannonier is 3-4 in the Octagon and 10-4 as a professional overall.

A …

Jon Anik will remain part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s broadcast team as the promotion transitions into its partnership with ESPN next year.

According to a report from MMAjunkie.com on Monday, Anik has signed a four-year extension to remain the lead play-by-play man for the Las Vegas-based organization. Anik later cconfirmed the deal via social media.

“It’s a multi-year extension, and it’s very exciting for me to be able to be a part of this new era with ESPN,” Anik told MMAjunkie. “I think, as a lot of people know, that’s where I sort of cut my teeth in television and radio, and that’s where I really starting covering mixed martial arts back in 2007 and 2008, so it sort of feels like we’re coming full-circle a little bit.

“…“This has become the foremost passion in my life, and I just couldn’t imagine my life without UFC being a big part of it. I’m thankful that it got done and just excited to continue to hit the ground running.”

Anik joined the U…

Ray Cooper III was one of the few bright spots for the Professional Fighters League during a lengthy PFL 10 card on Saturday in Washington, D.C.

Cooper III (17-5) steamrolled everybody in his path St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena, as the powerhouse Hawaiian vanquished two men he had fought previously. In the welterweight quarterfinals, he took on former Strikeforce, Shooto and EliteXC champion Jake Shields (33-11-1) -- a man he put away with second-round punches at PFL 3 in July. Cooper III was even more impressive in the rematch.

Shields tried to use his guile and grappling prowess to stem the tide of violence coming his way, but they were of no use. The Californian was rocked by a right to the head during a scramble to his feet, and Cooper III kept punching until referee Kevin Mulhall intervened 3:10 into the first round.

Cooper III was like a man possessed in his semifinal match with Brazil’s Handesson Ferreira (13-2-1), who forced Rick Story …

Respect #CW98 pic.twitter.com/y59jtsUYrl

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) October 20, 2018

It was a magical night in Birmingham, England, as the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship promotion hit the stage on Saturday at the Genting Arena. The Cage Warriors 98 main event gave rise to a new welterweight champion, as Ross Houston dethroned Stefano Paterno by split decision after five dramatic rounds.

The Scotsman dictated the pace of the match with early takedowns and third-round knockdown, though Paterno clipped him with a right hand that had him reeling for a few seconds. The shot could have changed the course of the fight, but Houston displayed a champion’s heart and withstood the adversity.

Meanwhile, Aiden Lee displayed amazing jiu-jitsu skills in the co-feature, as he submitted Paull McBain with only 18 secs remaining in Round 1. The Birmingham native closed the deal with a slick rear-naked choke and improved to 5-1 in his last six…

Weidman vs. Jacare is done, per Dana White. UFC trying to keep David Branch, who was scheduled to fight Jacare, on the card. Jared Cannonier is a possibility, but not done.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 20, 2018

After the dust settled following Luke Rockhold’s injury withdrawal from UFC 230 rematch against Chris Weidman, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza has stepped in to face Weidman.

Following his initial report this evening, Brett Okamoto of ESPN confirmed that ‘Jacare’ would be elevated from his middleweight bout against David Branch into the co-main event against Weidman. Branch currently has no opponent at UFC 230, although the Ultimate Fighting Championship is attempting to secure a replacement for Souza.

Coming off a “Fight of the Night” split-decision loss to current middleweight title challenger Kelvin Gastelum last May, Souza has earned four post-fight bonuses in his last five fights.

Facing a major opponent change is…

Chris Gutierrez squeezed the fight right out of Ray Rodriguez.

The Bellator MMA and World Series of Fighting alum dazzled in his Legacy Fighting Alliance debut, as he submitted Rodriguez with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their LFA 52 headliner on Friday at the Bell County Expo Center in Belton, Texas. Rodriguez (13-5) raised the white flag 4:47 into Round 1, the defeat snapping his run of eight straight victories.

Gutierrez (12-3-1) executed a takedown, maintained his composure despite being reversed and freed himself from an attempted kimura. The Factory X standout assumed top position, applied his ground-and-pound and made a slick transition to Rodriguez’s back. Gutierrez then snaked his arms in place, closed off potential avenues for escape and elicited the tapout.

In the co-main event, Jimmy Flick dispatched C.J. Hamilton with a second-round arm-triangle choke. Flick (11-4) sealed the deal 4:09 into Round 2, having secured back-to-back victories fo…

Luke Rockhold is out of UFC 230 versus Chris Weidman due to leg injuries. First reported by my colleague @bokamotoESPN.

Plan is to keep Weidman on the card. One name that is being discussed, per sources, is Jacare Souza, who was scheduled to fight David Branch on the same card.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 19, 2018

The hits keep coming for UFC 230, where the Nov. 3 card in Madison Square Garden has lost another huge fight.

According to Brett Okamoto from ESPN, middleweight Luke Rockhold has been forced to withdraw from his newly-appointed co-main event against Chris Weidman due to injury. Shortly afterward, ESPN’s Ariel Helwani added the report that one potential solution involved pulling Ronaldo Souza from his main-card tilt with David Branch, and making Weidman vs. “Jacare” the new co-main event.

Rockhold was making his return after suffering a knockout at the hands of Yoel Romero this February, and every one of hi…

Saturday’s PFL 10 is now official, as the playoff field has made weight without issues Friday in Washington D.C.

It’s a card loaded with Ultimate Fighting Championship veterans, from Jake Shields to Rick Story. Shields is set to rematch Ray Cooper III, who battered him en route to a second round TKO in July.

Since the Shields victory, Cooper III (15-5) has since gone on to score an 18-second knockout of Pavlo Kusch. Elsewhere on the card, Story takes on Handesson Ferreira and John Howard fights Eddie Gordon.

PFL 10 will feature the semi-final round bouts for the 2018 welterweight and middleweight playoffs, under the tournament-like structure of the organization.

“This is it, we’re almost set for the 2018 Championship,” said Ray Sefo, PFL President of Fighting Operations. “All 12 fighters who make the finals will have had to win two fights in one night to get there. It is a true test of these guys hearts and now they get to fight for $1 million and the PFL ti…

The talk is over. All that's left to do is fight!

Birmingham, see you Saturday night!

Full #CW98 weigh-in results https://t.co/QdbfXtqeXB pic.twitter.com/ZrtVZR8fmn

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) October 19, 2018

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship weekend kicked off Friday afternoon in Birmingham, England, with the official CW 98 weigh-ins. On Saturday, CW welterweight champion Stefano Paterno will put his belt on the line at the Genting Arena, where he will face undefeated Ross Houston.

An undisclosed reason forced the British promotion to change its co-main event at the last minute. Alan Carlos was declared not able to compete and his bout with Yannick Bahati was removed from the bill.

A featherweight title eliminator bout between Scotland’s Paull McBain and hometown hero Aiden Lee has now gained the co-main event spot. On the other side of the tournament draw, Dean Truman meets Lewis Monarch for a shot at the belt. Read more about Cage Warriors 98 Weigh-in Results: Welterweight Title Fight Official in Birmingham

So here's what's up for everybody asking

I do not have to have surgery!! I'm going to stay in LA and get stem cell injections in my hip on Monday. From that point I will have a 3 week recovery. After that I will be able to go back to training 100%.

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) October 19, 2018

It appears to be good news for Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight contender Dustin Poirier, who recently had to pull out of his high profile fight against Nate Diaz at UFC 230 due to a hip injury.

The Louisianan said he couldn’t train as effectively as he wanted in the lead up to the fight and had to withdraw. His opponent, Diaz, didn’t want the UFC to find him another opponent and decided to withdraw as well.

Poirier originally tweeted that he would be seeing a specialist in Los Angeles to get a second opinion on the nagging hip issue and found out that the injury is not as bad as originally thought and won’t require surgery. Read more about Dustin Poirier’s Hip Injury Will Not Require Surgery

Derrick Lewis continues to build his brand in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and that brand is about to impact his bottom line in a big way.

The popular heavyweight, who boasts nearly a million and a half followers on Instagram, has now earned himself a shot at the title against champion Daniel Cormier after his come-from-behind knockout victory over Alexander Volkov earlier this month at UFC 229. His post-fight interview with UFC color commentator Joe Rogan where he claimed his “balls [were] hot” definitely earned himself more followers going into the high-profile bout with Cormier.

According to “The Black Beast,” he stands to earn a substantial amount on Nov. 3.

“It’s probably more than I made this year already,” Lewis said.

That is impressive, considering Lewis has made around $880,000 in disclosed earnings so far in 2018: $320,000 against Volkov at UFC 229, $260,000 against Francis Ngannou at UFC 226 and $320,000 against Marcin Tybura at UFC…

.@ElizeuCapoeira é escalado para o UFC Pequim, dia 24 de novembro, para enfrentar @UfcJingliang https://t.co/NAkKT0HKJz parceria com @marbarone

— Raphael Marinho (@raphamarinho) October 19, 2018

A welterweight showdown between Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Jingliang Li is in the works for UFC Fight Night 141. The news first broke on Thursday from Marcelo Barone and Raphael Marinho of Combate.

Zaleski dos Santos (20-5) is riding a six-fight win streak including back-to-back knockouts of Sean Strickland and Luigi Vendramini, and is unbeaten inside the Octagon dating back to 2016. Those last two victories made Zaleski dos Santos the only fighter in UFC history to ever earn a knockout with a flying strike as well as a knockout with a spinning strike.

On the other side, Li (15-5) bounced back from a “Fight of the Night” decision loss to Jake Matthews earlier this year by beating Daichi Abe on the scorecards in Singapore this June. Jinglia…

Battle of Europe!

@TomFirekid vs. @TheProspectMMA at #UFC232! pic.twitter.com/cfQfAe18nf

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) October 18, 2018

Bantamweights Tom Duquesnoy and Nathaniel Wood have been added to UFC 232 in a pivotal bout between divisional prospects, the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced Thursday.

Duquesnoy (16-2) has lost just once over a 14-fight span, dropping a split decision to Cody Stamann last year. The 25-year-old Frenchman rebounded from the loss with a victory over Terrion Ware in March.

Meanwhile, former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship bantamweight king Wood (14-3) scored a slick, second-round submission over Johnny Eduardo in his Octagon debut back in June, extending his winning streak to six.

UFC 232 will take place Dec. 29 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be feature a rematch between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson in the main event.

A gold medalist in judo at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Kayla Harrison debuts successfully with a first-round armbar on Brittney Elkin. Ronda would be proud. #PFL2 pic.twitter.com/UNcHSFTU3w

— Kyle Johnson (@Maldobabo) June 22, 2018

Professional Fighters League has announced an event in New York City for New Year’s Eve, which will feature six title fights and Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison’s third professional mixed martial arts bout. An opponent has yet to be revealed.

The New Year’s Eve card will hold the tournament finals to crown six new PFL champions after the playoffs end in their bracket-style format. Those newly-crowned champions will also walk away with $1 million.

League President Carlos Silva likened the tournament finals to March Madness, which will ultimately cap off the first season of PFL’s format:

“Fighters and fans love our March Madness meets MMA format. We’re excited to continue this momentous first seas…

Off to Vegas!@CatZingano faces off with @MeganA_MMA in a featherweight matchup. #UFC232 pic.twitter.com/iUHKhq9Ohz

— UFC (@ufc) October 17, 2018

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has officially added another women’s featherweight fight to an already-stacked card at UFC 232, in the form of Cat Zingano vs. Megan Anderson. The official announcement came on Wednesday through the UFC’s Twitter account.

It is an interesting announcement, as the card already features a women’s featherweight champion bout between Cristiane Justino and Amanda Nunes. Last month, “Cyborg” said she wanted a backup fighter ready, as the UFC has done for UFC 228 when Tyron Woodley took on Darren Till and it seems those calls were answered with the intriguing bout at 145 pounds announced between Zingano and Anderson.

The @ufc had an extra welterweight make weight when @TWooodley fought @darrentill2 just in case anyone got injured I would like …

Get your seats for #UFCMilwaukee before anyone else.

The @UFC Fight Club pre-sale is LIVE.

https://t.co/0PkpBcniJO pic.twitter.com/bHbrWv03r6

— UFC Fight Club (@ufcfightclub) October 17, 2018

Two fights have been added to UFC on Fox 31, after the promotion announced that heavyweights Juan Adams vs. Chris de la Rocha and light heavyweights Adam Milstead vs. Mike Rodriguez have been booked for the December card.

Adams (4-0) is coming off of three TKO victories in a seven-month span, and made good on his Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series opportunity against Shawn Teed with a first-round TKO to earn a Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

Meanwhile, de la Rocha (5-2) lost his first two UFC appearances by knockout before finally winning his first fight inside the Octagon against Rashad Coulter in June.

Milstead is coming off of a split-decision loss to Jordan Johnson back in March, while his opponent Rodriguez…

December #UFCAdelaide https://t.co/fj7U7snfJ9 pic.twitter.com/sxpVDZtHeR

— UFC Aus/New Zealand (@UFC_AUSNZ) October 15, 2018

UFC Fight Night Adelaide continues to take shape as the Ultimate Fighting Championship has added a welterweight matchup.

Longtime journeyman Yushin Okami meets rising prospect Alexey Kunchenko in a fight set to test Kunchenko’s place in the division.

Okami has gone 1-1 since returning to the UFC in 2017. The Japanese fighter last fought two-time TUF finalist Dhiego Lima, winning a dominant decision at UFC Glendale.

Kunchenko’s record currently stands at a perfect 19-0. The Russian made his Octagon debut back in September at UFC Moscow, beating Thiago Alves in a hotly-contested fight. Kunchenko has been touted as the next big thing by many hardcore fans and will look to prove them right in Australia.

The fight is currently expected to take place on the prelims.

UFC Adelaide has already booked J…

Two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson reiterates he is still keen on a fight with former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler despite talks taking longer than expected.

Thompson has been frustratingly close in his recent outings: He fell short on two occasions against current welterweight king Tyron Woodley, but by the narrowest of margins, taking “The Chosen One” to draw in their first fight and dropping a majority decision in the rematch. “Wonderboy” last fought in Liverpool, England back in May, losing a controversial decision to Darren Till.

Lawler, however, has not fought since losing to Rafael dos Anjos by unanimous decision back in December, suffering a torn ACL in the process. The injury has kept him sidelined up until now but Thompson believes Lawler is now back in the gym readying for a return to the Octagon.

Thompson recently spoke with Jim Edwards of MMA NYTT and said he’s excited for a potenti…

Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White and lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov have come to terms after the fallout from The Eagle’s UFC 229 fight against Conor McGregor, where a massive brawl ensued following a submission victory for Nurmagomedov.

The champion’s friends and fellow UFC fighters Islam Makhachev and Zubaira Tukhugov were said to be axed from the promotion due to their involvement in the melee, causing Nurmagomedov (27-0) to publicly say he would consider retiring out of protest.

However, White says the two have come to terms now that things have cooled off a bit since last Saturday when asked by TMZ Tuesday:

“We worked it out. We're gonna get everything worked out. Obviously, he was a little upset and a little fired up.

“Listen, guys get very emotional man and that was a very emotional fight for him. At the end of the day, Khabib is a great guy and we've always had a great relationship with him.”

Before cooler heads prevail…

Fedor Emelianenko & @RyanBader meet in the finals of the #BellatorWGP Jan 26th at @TheForum in Los Angeles. Presale begins Wednesday on https://t.co/Vaz4tapQg5 and https://t.co/eHO16iDdOb pic.twitter.com/TQropgxRGn

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) October 16, 2018

Bellator MMA heavyweight grand prix finalists Fedor Emelianenko and Ryan Bader will settle who wins the tournament, as well as the heavyweight belt, on Jan. 26 at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

Both emerged victorious in their respective tournament bouts last weekend, with Bader (26-5) defeating Mitrione by decision Friday and Emelianenko (38-5 1 NC) finishing Chael Sonnen in the first round Saturday.

Beforehand, Bader knocked out Muhammed Lawal in 15 seconds in the opening round of the tournament in May; meanwhile, “The Last Emperor” finished former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king Frank Mir in 46 seconds in April.

The tournament finale will air …